HARTFORD —— Mayor Pedro Segarra easily won the endorsement Thursday at the city's Democratic nominating convention, while the city council race was strongly contested.

Segarra defeated Edwin Vargas, a member of the city's planning and zoning commission, and J. Stan McCauley, a local television entrepreneur, for the party's nomination during the convention at Bulkeley High School.

Vargas and McCauley have both said they would wage a primary battle to overturn the nomination. Segarra received 51 votes from town committee members, while Vargas received six and McCauley received four. Five town committee members abstained.

"We knew the results were going to be in favor of the incumbent," Vargas said after the vote. "The party traditionally supports the incumbent. It's not easy when it's a foregone conclusion."

Segarra thanked his supporters and said he still looks forward to working with those who didn't vote for him.

"I know and you know that this city can be a better place," he said. "We can move our city forward, but each and every one of you knows that that's never going to happen unless we work together."

Segarra's strongest opponent, Shawn Wooden, stepped aside three weeks ago in a deal brokered by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Wooden announced that he would instead seek a seat on the city council.

Democrats also endorsed six candidates for city council. Those who won include Kenneth Kennedy, who is on the council now; Kyle Anderson, an employee in the state Department of Consumer Protection; Alex Aponte, who also serves on the council; Raul DeJesus, who ran against former Mayor Eddie Perez in 2007; David MacDonald, chairman of the city's Board of Education; and Wooden, a city attorney.

Wooden got 50 votes, Kennedy and Aponte each received 40 votes, Anderson received 38, DeJesus received 37 and MacDonald received 34.

The town committee had yet to endorse a candidate for treasurer as of late Thursday night. Candidates include city Tax Collector Marc Nelson, state Rep. Kelvin Roldan, D-Hartford, current city Treasurer Adam Cloud and Lawrence Davis, a member of the Hartford Internal Audit Commission. Sources said Cloud and Davis had strong support.

Reprinted with permission of the Hartford Courant.
To view other stories on this topic, search the Hartford Courant Archives at
http://www.courant.com/archives.